The Heart of 16th Century Europe

Hey guys! Remember us?

It is I, Maddy, writing to tell you about my day trip to the famous Spanish palace, El Escorial, located in a little town just 45 minutes outside Madrid. Now, the name might not sound all too familiar, but it was this palace from which the Holy Roman Empire and nearly all of Europe was ruled in the 16th and 17th centuries. This place is massive and it’s because so much was needed to ensure the power of the Spanish Empire when it was at its peak. Think of the White House, FBI, CIA and state department all combined in one incredible building. Yup, that’s now influential it was. Who knows if Europe would ever be the same without this palace and those who lived in it.

We took a 2.5-hour walking tour of this majestic beauty — and didn’t even see half of it! What we did see were one-of-a-kind tapestries, stunning artwork, a mixture of architecture and the best part…the tombs!

It is in this palace where all the kings and queens of Spain are buried (minus Ferdie and Izzy and the current King). In a giant gold-gilded room sits dozens of coffins encrypted with the royal’s name, their bones inside. A grosser side note? El Escorial has a rotting chamber where they let the bodies decompose before placing their skeleton in the coffin. The current King’s parents are undergoing this process as I type this. Cool, right?

The professor that led the tour was so informative and told us about the legacies of Carlos I, Phillip II (the king who built the palace) and other notables in the Habsburg dynasty. The history buff in me was ecstatic. I was elated to be standing so close to the King and Queen’s bedrooms, seeing where they prayed and where they died/rotted!

The library within the palace is considered one of the most extensive in Europe! It’s been extremely well-preserved and contains books on how to play chess and magic.

Another cool detail? All over the palace is the symbol of a grill. Why? Well, the palace was built in honor of St. Lawrence, a Catholic man who refused to denounce his faith in front of the Roman army and so was grilled alive as punishment. It’s been painted into the palace’s art and carved into the architecture — the whole palace is shaped like a grill when seen from above!

I could not possibly fall more in love with Spain and its history, but visiting El Escorial has definitely made it possible!

Love,
Maddy